The present disclosure relates generally to industrial networks and, more particularly, to an integrated circuit that supports, among other things, multiple industrial Ethernet protocols, fieldbus protocols, and industrial application processing, thereby providing a single hardware platform that may be used to build various automation devices/equipment implemented in an industrial network (thus providing for an Application Specific Standard Product (ASSP)).
Industrial automation/control systems are employed for controlling operation of a wide variety of systems, including processes, machines, etc., and are typically adaptable to different control applications through configuration and interconnection of multiple control system components or devices, such as control modules, I/O modules, I/O devices, etc. Existing industrial control systems typically include a processor running or executing a control program to interact with an I/O system (e.g., typically one or more I/O modules or devices) to receive system information in the form of analog and/or digital inputs from field sensors and to provide outputs (analog and/or digital) to one or more actuators. Industrial control systems are increasingly being interconnected with management information and other systems in a manufacturing facility, and may be operatively connected to any number of communications networks to facilitate various business management functions such as inventory control, accounting, manufacturing control, etc., in addition to the process/machine control functionality.
The desire to integrate the business and control network structures to interconnect industrial control systems with general purpose systems, along with the evolution and development of fast Ethernet (e.g., in switch mode with full duplex capability), has allowed for Industrial Ethernet networks (e.g., such as Ethernet/IP networks that allow for direct connection of field devices to an Ethernet network) to be widely used in industrial applications. Indeed, Industrial Ethernet is becoming the dominant (if not incumbent) technology in industrial automation.
But the large number of Industrial Ethernet protocols (e.g., corresponding to the wide variety of fieldbus protocols), many of which require a specialized (e.g., non-standard) MAC design (e.g., for real-time response), presents designers and/or suppliers/vendors of industrial automation devices/components and systems (e.g., chip and board designers/vendors, device (e.g., designers/OEMs of controller, I/O modules, drives, etc.) with many technological, as well as cost, challenges associated with a device/product supporting multiple Internet Ethernet protocols.
In addition, while a variety of Ethernet/IP capable field devices (e.g., actuators, motors, valves) have become commercially available, many field devices (e.g., low-volume or specialized, and/or low-cost devices, such as low-cost sensors, etc.) may not be offered with industrial Ethernet communications capabilities because the cost of incorporating Ethernet communications functionality may be prohibitive for such devices. As such, these field devices typically provide communication using conventional industrial fieldbus networks. But connecting such fieldbus devices to Industrial Ethernet networks requires linking devices (e.g., bridges), which occupy an Ethernet network node and add to system configuration and maintenance complexity.
Thus, there remains a need for improved apparatus and methods for cost-effective and efficient support of multiple Industrial Ethernet protocols.